Patrick praises solar energy firm in Marlborough

Gov. Deval Patrick and other state and local officials yesterday touted a solar energy company’s expansion in Marlborough as an example of the intersection of environmental and economic policies.

By Kendall Hatch/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

By Kendall Hatch/Daily News staff

Posted May. 2, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 2, 2012 at 2:04 AM

By Kendall Hatch/Daily News staff

Posted May. 2, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 2, 2012 at 2:04 AM

MARLBOROUGH

» Social News

Gov. Deval Patrick and other state and local officials yesterday touted a solar energy company’s expansion in Marlborough as an example of the intersection of environmental and economic policies.

“We have to be serious, long-term stewards of our environmental interests,” Patrick said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for SolarCity, which is opening a facility in Marlborough.

Patrick said that often, protecting environmental interests can be done in a way to further economic growth.

SolarCity is a clean energy company built on the model of leasing photovoltaic panels to homeowners, businesses and municipalities. The company pays for installation and maintenance costs and the homeowner pays a monthly tab to the company, but sees a steep drop in their utility bills.

The company, which has offices across the country, expanded to Massachusetts last year, setting up two small offices in Billerica and Raynham. The company has moved its approximately 15 employees from those two offices to its new location in Marlborough and has boosted its workforce to 40, said Ed Steins, SolarCity’s regional director for Massachusetts.

In addition, Steins said, the company is in the process of hiring 30 new employees for its Marlborough facility.

Unlike some other solar panel vendors, SolarCity leases panels to customers, with options to purchase them as well. The company still owns the panels, but the energy is fed into the customer’s home or business, cutting down on their utility bills.

Joe Feroce of Attleboro, who attended the ribbon-cutting yesterday, said he had the panels installed on his approximately 2,400-square-foot home in January.

He said that in his first month, his electricity bill came in at $18 and then dropped to $10 the next month. He said he has not received a bill for the month after that. His typical bill for that time of year runs in the $70-$80 range, he said.

He said he pays SolarCity $30 per month to lease the panels.

Patrick yesterday touted the Green Communities program and other environmental policies as being instrumental in the expansion of companies like SolarCity in Massachusetts. He said that from July 2010 to July 2011, clean energy jobs in the state jumped 6.7 percent, with further growth expected to come.

“It’s good jobs for good people building a better future,” he said. “That’s what this is all about.” Patrick and Steins said the company did not receive any state or local incentives for opening the new shop in Marlborough.

State Commissioner of Energy Resources Mark Sylvia said communities can look to Marlborough as a guide for attracting clean energy business. He described Marlborough as a “city that has led the way in the clean energy revolution.” Sylvia said solar cells have been proliferating across the state, particularly since Patrick took office in 2007. He said that at the beginning of 2007, there were three megawatts of solar power in the state. Now, he said, there are over 100 megawatts and the state is approaching 200.

Page 2 of 2 - State Senator Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, said this area of the state is particularly savvy in attracting green energy businesses. He said that out of the 14 communities in his district, six have already been designated as green communities.

Mayor Arthur Vigeant said he was thrilled to have another business come to the city and add more jobs, a goal he said he will be pursuing further through a city-sponsored jobs fair in June, which SolarCity will attend.

(Kendall Hatch can be reached at 508-490-7453 or khatch@wickedlocal.com. For Marlborough news throughout the day, follow him on Twitter @Kendall_Hatch.)